The pirate queen : Queen Elizabeth I, her pirate adventurers, and the dawn of empire

Dubbed the "pirate queen" by the Vatican and Philip II of Spain, Elizabeth I was feared and admired by her enemies. Extravagant, whimsical, and hot-tempered, she was the epitome of power. Her visionary accomplishments were made possible by her daring merchants, gifted rapscallion adventurers, astronomer philosophers, and her stalwart Privy Council. All these men contributed their genius, power, greed, and expertise to the advancement of England. Historian Ronald offers a fresh look at Elizabeth I, focusing on her uncanny instinct for financial survival and the superior intellect that propelled and sustained her rise. The foundation of Elizabeth's empire was built on a carefully choreographed strategy whereby piracy transformed England from an impoverished state on the fringes of Europe into the first building block of an empire that ultimately covered two-fifths of the world.--From publisher description.Ler mais...

pt. 1. The desperate quest for security. --
The Lord's doing --
A realm exhausted --
The Queen, Her merchants and gentlemen --
The quest for cash --
The merchants adventurers, Antwerp, and Muscovy --
The politics of piracy, trade, and religion --
Raising the stakes --
Cunning deceits --
The gloves are off --
Lovell's lamentable voyage --
The troublesome voyage of John Hawkins --
pt. 2. Harvesting the sea. --
The Queen and Alba's pay ships --
The cost of failure --
Undeclared holy war --
Drake's war --
The dread of future foes --
Drake at the treasure house of the world --
From a treetop in Darien --
Success at a cost --
Dr. Dee's nursery and the Northwest Passage --
Dark days at Rathlin Island --
Drake's perfect timing --The Northwest and the Company of Kathai --
In the shadow of Magellan --
Into the jaws of death --
The famous voyage --
The world is not enough --
Elizabeth strikes back in the Levant --
Katherine Champernowne's sons take up the American dream --
The defeats of 1582-84 --
Water! --
Roanoke --
pt. 3. The Spanish War. --
The Queen lets loose her dragon --
The camel's back --
Cadiz --
The plundering of the Spanish Armada --
America again ... and again? --
The last gasp of the early roaring 90's --
pt. 4. Dawn of empire. --
The alchemy that turned plunder into trade --
Essex, Ireland, and tragedy --
Raleigh, Virginia, and empire --
The East and the East India Company --
Epilogue --
Appendix 1 : The Petty Navy Royal --
Appendix 2 : The Flotilla from New Spain of August 1587.

Resumo:

Dubbed the "pirate queen" by the Vatican and Philip II of Spain, Elizabeth I was feared and admired by her enemies. Extravagant, whimsical, and hot-tempered, she was the epitome of power. Her visionary accomplishments were made possible by her daring merchants, gifted rapscallion adventurers, astronomer philosophers, and her stalwart Privy Council. All these men contributed their genius, power, greed, and expertise to the advancement of England. Historian Ronald offers a fresh look at Elizabeth I, focusing on her uncanny instinct for financial survival and the superior intellect that propelled and sustained her rise. The foundation of Elizabeth's empire was built on a carefully choreographed strategy whereby piracy transformed England from an impoverished state on the fringes of Europe into the first building block of an empire that ultimately covered two-fifths of the world.--From publisher description.